WEBVTT NOW, SINCE 2015. >> TODAY IS APRIL 30, RIGHT? WE’RE NOT EVEN INTO THE SUMMER MONTHS. IT’S ONLY GOING TO GO UP AND UP BECAUSE THEY ALWAYS SAY IN THE SUMMER IT GOES UP. ANDREW: JAMES CHILDS ROLLED INTO KENTUCKY THIS MORNING ON A ROAD TRIP FROM UPSTATE NEW YORK. HE’S BEEN WATCHING THE MILES ROLL BY, AND THE COSTS ADD UP. >> USED TO BE AROUND $44 TO FILL IT UP, AND NOW PRICES ARE WELL OVER $50 TO FILL IT UP. I KNOW IT’S ONLY GOING TO GO UP AGAIN TOO. ANDREW: IT’S NOT YOUR IMAGINATION. GAS PRICES RIGHT NOW ARE AT THEIR HIGHEST POINT SINCE JUNE OF 201 THE CINCINNATI AVERAGE $2.84 A GALLON THE HIGHEST IN THE STATE OF OHIO. THAT IS UP $.24 A GALLON IN THE LAST 30 DAYS. >> DEMAND IS VERY, VERY HIGH. WE HAVE MORE PEOPLE ON THE ROAD, MORE PEOPLE ARE TRAVELING, SO OF COURSE WE’RE USING MORE FUEL TO GET TO WHERE WE NEED TO GO. ANDREW: JENNIFER MOORE WITH AAA CINCINNATI SAYS WE MIGHT GET CLOSE TO THE DREADED THREE DOLLARS A GALLON. >> GAS PRICES WILL NOT HIT THIS IS THE NATIONAL PRICE AVERAGE WILL NOT HIT THE THREE DOLLAR MARK. THEY WILL STABILIZE FOR THE SUMMERTIME HOWEVER, WE NEED TO WARN FOLKS THAT IF DEMAND KEEPS GOING UP THERE’S A CHANCE WE CAN GET DANGEROUSLY CLOSE TO THAT THREE DOLLAR MARK. ANDREW: AND THE LAW OF SUPPLY AND DEMAND HAS ANOTHER IMPACT ON PRICES THE MORE IT COSTS TO FILL UP, THE MORE LIKELY PEOPLE ARE TO CUT BACK ON DRIVING ONE GOOD BIT OF INFORMATION FOR DRIVERS HERE IN NORTHERN KENTUCKY GAS PRICES HAD BEEN ABOUT $.10 TO $.15 A GALLON HIGHER ON THIS SIDE OF THE RIVER, BUT DUE TO CHANGES IN THE GAS FORMULATION RULES THEY'

According to AAA Cincinnati, the local average cost for unleaded regular gas is $2.84 per gallon. That's the highest average since June 2015.

Advertisement

Drivers are certainly noticing.

"We're not even into the summer months. It's only going to go up and up because they always say in the summer it goes up," said James Childs, who is on a road trip from upstate New York.

Cincinnati prices are the highest in the state of Ohio, according to AAA, and they've climbed by 24 cents per gallon in the last 30 days.

"We have more people on the road, more people are traveling, so of course we're using more fuel to get to where we need to go," said Jennifer Moore, with AAA Cincinnati.AAA is predicting the nationwide average will not hit $3 per gallon, but it will come close.

"They will stabilize for the summertime, however, we need to warn folks that if demand keeps going up there's a chance we can get dangerously close to that $3 mark," Moore said.

The law of supply and demand has another impact on prices -- the more it costs to fill up, the more likely people are to cut back on driving.